Posted February 7th, 2014

CLASSY Awards Winner to be Featured on 20/20

Inspirational speaker and CLASSY Awards Winner, Jeremy Poincenot, will be featured tonight on ABC’s 20/20. The episode “My Strange Affliction” will explore the world of Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (“LHON”). The condition impacts roughly 1 in 50,000 people and causes a progressive loss of vision leading those who are affected to become blind. As of now, there is no cure for LHON.

Jeremy won a CLASSY Award in 2010 for the fundraiser he created to benefit the LHON Project Fund at the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. This past year’s version of that fundraiser, the 5th annual C.U.R.E. Ride (Cycling Under Reduced Eyesight), was the most successful yet, raising over $41,000 to support research.

The C.U.R.E. Ride reflects one of the things that we at StayClassy admire most about Jeremy– his refusal to let LHON affect his embrace of life. Not only does Jeremy cycle in the fundraising ride he created, he’s also a prolific golfer, having won the 2010 World Blind Golf Championship over in England.

The 20/20 piece promises to be interesting and inspiring. You can read a more detailed write up over at ABC and make sure to tune in tonight at 10 P.M. EST. We’ll be watching!